Privacy is to be taken seriously, there are some vital information about patients that must not be permitted to reach the outside no matter the occurrence, everyone wants to feel secure and respected. Should some certain information be disclosed be it intentionally or unintentionally they will find it difficult to move around without covering up their faces, to be very realistic all records must be stored in a retrieval system whereby the can be safeguarded out of the reach of every persons.
As a matter of fact we know that confidential heath care is a human right enshrined in law, therefore it must be taken seriously, for if the health records of an individual is lost completely then such will not find healthcare secure and meaningful, people like to see their files and information kept for years even after a tenure when they are not going to need them anymore, it is now a thing of advantage that there has been various electronically methods of keeping information. As a body that is willing to comply with Health Care Information Systems we are aware that there are so much measures through which health care records can be kept without losing the information that has been provided by every patient. A patient needed his/her health information for future references and treatments therefore it would become an issue if it cannot be provided as at the time it was requested for. In some instances a law suit may be filed, since it would look like a breach of agreement.
Should a patient request for their health file or record and it cannot be provided due to the natural disaster that has destroyed the copies that have been kept, then the patient would be explained to by management and it would be assured to them that there is a kind of format used by the organization that could not be deciphered by anyone outside the health care organization. Also as a body that is not existing in relic times it must be right to have a soft copy of these files and also to accrue them from other health care sources especially since the introduction of Electronic Health Records, which has been prescribed to all health care sectors, it is a strong method of possessing patients information in ways with which they can be gathered even while the hospital in question has lost all the data it has derived from treatments and diagnosis. We know the essence of putting In place a database that works; therefore that is never going to be an issue should natural disasters occur, this will put hospitals ahead of those that have so much believed in the old modes of keeping records, the hard copies are usually voluminous and hard to maintain than soft copies. Possessing an online cloud will even make it so easy to get back all necessary files once they are requested for; if this is not in place then it will not be easy to derive, therefore it would be told to patients that the natural disaster has damaged all the files we ever had therefore we will try as much as possible to re-run diagnosis and ensure that we build an adequate and detailed health care record of their over a period of time, also they might be complemented with some freebies, so as to show that such was not done intentionally, and for the privacy they might nag over it would be explained to them how all of these files have been stored and that an ordinary person might not be able to have them in their useful state, the papyrus used will be one such that whenever water has a contact with it all the information in them would be wiped off, that should give them enough reason to smile and count on healthcare as being caring, competent and organized.
Teenagers must be seriously remembered in this occurrence because they are the sole group that does not like their health information to leak out even to the hands of their parents let alone to a stranger. A teenager who sits in a consulting room with his or her doctor can rely on their doctor to keep confidential any info they disclose except an exemption applies. So it would become a serious issue if their health information crept out of where they have been kept in order. As an organized body all of these must been included in the mission statement so that chaos will not rock the minds of patients also so that loyal customers will not flee over time just because of a natural disaster that occured all of a sudden then leave the vision statement hanging in jeopardy.
As for staff, the human resource department should not just bring in anyone that is not willing to work with the use of today’s technologies. Therefore those ones that are not capable of using electronic modes of saving their work will have to be trained on that also for others that are to be written on hard copies they will be brief and not detailed, such that should other persons pick it up they will have less meaning or become totally meaningless to them. Vital information should not be written or passed all over the hospital just like that, as a rule under privacy act it must be noted that the patient does not expect everyone to know the condition of his/her health except if such a patient has been consented, but even in this occasion it would be used for the treatment of some other persons or to discover new ways with which the ailment or disease the patient is suffering from can be discovered. So using electronic methods to store information have been discovered to be the easiest form of keeping them because they can be easily called upon when need be. As a modern health professional that is existing in this era he/she must possess knowledge of using electronic methods to saving health records.
Another is that in most circumstances the health professional must have been familiar with the health problems of the patients he/she treats on daily, monthly or quarterly basis, also in their offices there will be a data/information recording devices that will have the record of any patient they diagnose or treat intact, this would even mean less work for these health professional since they will not need to be calling for patients files every now and then, and as a measure to ensure that privacy is not breached the information recording device will not be the type on which data could be culled off such as using a pen/flash drive of other electronic memory cards. It would make it unique and give every patient the maximum confident that their information has been kept intact. Like in the case of natural that was discussed earlier the files in the records retaining device will not be lost. Therefore health professionals will be respected and free with their patients.
Permissions for uses and disclosures of facts about individual and their ailment and treatment are not to be shared except they are permitted or required as stated by health care law, a covered entity may not use or disclose protected health information without a permission that is equitable under the law, meanwhile when a covered entity obtains or receives a legitimate permission for its use or disclosure of protected health information or report, such use or disclosure of preserved health information must be constant with such permission. Permission is not required in some instances such as in the cases listed below.
1.Uses by the creator of the analysis for treatment
2.Uses for training programs in which trainees learn under the supervision to practice and improve their skills in group or individual counseling
3.Use or disclosure by the covered entity to defend itself in a legal action or other proceedings brought by the individual.
But for every other use permission from patient is expected to be granted before usage, some might agree to without any terms with the physician while other might decide to give conditions with which such facts can be used. If disclosures are done without following the necessary procedures then the owner of the record has the right to take it up in the law court for the charge of breaching over privacy. Every health professional is expected to know the basis of disclosing health information and they are to follow the legal procedures so as to keep them from facing the wrath or the law.
They will be trained to follow the supposed trails as directed by Electronic Health Records (EHR), instead of Electronic Medical record that is prepared and dwells within the place where they are gathered alone. EHR is the best method since it involves interaction with other health care organizations.
To achieve one’s management plans it should be known that one cannot succeed without having the right mission with which the vision can be achieved. At first the environment must have been studied to know if there will be the achievement of the organization’s plan. How can the management plan be achieved when the right hands have not been hired, the right type of hands must be employed. This could only emanate from such a setting only if the company is organized right from the start. There is nothing difficult in achieving a wonderful management if the right principles were adopted.
Health care has not been a static entity, so much changes has been made in health care, most of which are benefitting to the hospitals, professional health care workers and patients alongside. It has also marked merit for the health care industry. In the last 10 years there has been the introduction of modern health care facilities which helps to facilitate the delivery of health care services.
Technological advancement has also crept into health care which has made it easier for health professionals to carry out their function in a better way with the maximum amount of precision. There is the use of syringes that are being controlled electronically by computers; much type of machines have been discovered and introduced by scientist which have made monitoring of patients easier and faster. This is not the area in which health care has developed, if health care facilities are considered, it would be identified that these facilities are better built, attractive and serving purposes. There are many electronically operated doors, beds, wheel chairs and more.
Cameras are now used in every ward and waiting rooms so as to monitor and to record the way health care is being dispensed, this alone has helped to ensure that every health professional is not doing the wrong thing or treating patients in a manner that is not accepted by the patients or that is out of health care ethics.
All of these are enough to ensure that a patient health records are intact and in order, therefore no matter the incidence healthcare is yet ahead. Modern health care organization must be able to harness all that they have got in place.
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